Message From The Director
Greetings!
On behalf of all of us at ACCESS I’d like to welcome you to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE)! As the parent of a neurodivergent child, I know how important it is to have supports and wrap around services in place that not only edify, but inspire. I’ve witnessed discrimination on the basis of ability first hand, and learned how vital it is to understand your rights and develop the self-advocacy skills needed to ensure they’re protected. Therefore it was essential that our office mission, vision and values not only work to destigmatize disability, but also operate from a social justice lens designed to shift campus culture and encourage the holistic development of our students.
Here we use the name “ACCESS” both as a call to action, and as an acronym to intentionally describe the work we do. Accessible Campus Community means it is our collective responsibility (campus-wide) to make sure that SIUE is a welcoming and inclusive campus for diverse learners and students with disabilities. Equitable Student Support means that we are dedicated to supporting students based on their unique experience with their diagnosis, and how that intersects with their academic pursuits. Simply put, there are no one-size-fits-all approaches or boilerplate accommodations. We engage in an interactive process that includes proactive dialogue with each student, a review of submitted documentation, and ongoing collaboration with university partners to remove barriers to equal and effective education.
We understand that students face many challenges in college, this is especially true for students with disabilities. So every ACCESS program and resource is designed to maximize potential and minimize hardship by providing students, faculty, and university staff with expert advice and technical assistance. Our staff has been trained in Trauma Informed Care techniques in order to promote wellbeing through comprehensive support in response to the impact of significant life events. We’ve also recently implemented Learning Objectives which are woven into everything we do from registration to graduation and every program in between.
At ACCESS, compliance is the floor, and accessibility is the ceiling. It is our goal to remove the ableist impediments to your progress and replace them with reasonable solutions that allow you to demonstrate your excellence. Whether you’re a new student, a current student or just becoming acclimated to the services we provide, we want to let you know that we’re here to support you, affirm you and assist you on your journey to graduation and beyond. As you navigate our website, I welcome you to come tour our office, meet our staff and find out more about all the resources ACCESS has to offer. We look forward to meeting you and celebrating all you will achieve!
In solidarity and support,
Dominic Dorsey II M.S.Ed.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Director of ACCESS
